Based on the sample analysis, it is often not possible to differentiate between contamination and administration

* The established minimum urine or plasma concentration of Prohibited Substances in a sample that will be reported as a positive finding

* The established minimum urine or plasma concentration of Prohibited Substances in a sample that will be reported as a positive finding

As you can see in the graph, a “low” concentration does not necessarily mean contamination as it could be contamination if ingested by the horse close to the sampling, but it could also be “residue” from administration that occurred many hours (or days) after administration.

♦  That even the tiniest amount of a substance will lead to a positive test.

♦  Not so! Every substance has a “reporting level” and only levels of a Prohibited Substance that are above that reporting level are reported as a positive. This means that tiny “trace” levels of a prohibited substance are very unlikely to cause a positive test.

In order for horses to compete in FEI events, they must be free from Prohibited Substances. There are a number of effective ways to minimise and mitigate the possibility of contamination that could lead to a positive Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication (EADCM) test result.

The FEI has produced the following guidance and best practices to follow to reduce the risks of contamination.

HAY, FEED AND SUPPLEMENTS
1. Use a reputable supplier
Ensure hay, feed and supplements are obtained from a trusted source and have been correctly stored prior to purchase.

2. Use high quality feed that has undergone Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) testing
This should guarantee that feed is free from commonly known contaminants such as caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, morphine, hyoscine, hordenine and atropine.

3. Keep samples of hay, feed, supplements and any corresponding batch numbers
This enables a thorough investigation to be carried out should contamination be suspected.

4. Store feed carefully
Prohibited substances could easily be dropped or spilt into open feed bags or storage containers.

5. Make sure feed storage containers are clean
Old feed becomes mouldy quickly. Certain types of mould can result in the production of naturally occurring prohibited substances.

6. Supplements
Some supplements contain more substances than the ingredients list and some have been linked to contamination. The FEI provides a warning regarding the use of supplements and supplement use must be recorded in the horse’s FEI Medication Logbook.

THE HORSE’S ENVIRONMENT
1. Check for environmental contaminants
Fields and/or surrounding land may contain plants that could lead to positive EADCM tests, e.g. poppies, crocuses, nightshade and lupins. Horses living in areas of the world in which high coffee production takes place are at risk of contamination from caffeine, paraxanthine, theobromine, theophylline. It is advisable to consult with local authorities or experts to check what substances may be present in your region. 

2. Clean stables thoroughly between horses
Never put a horse into a stable that is not clean, especially when travelling or at an event. Certain substances, e.g. flunixin, have been proven to be reabsorbed by the horse via urine and droppings after they have been excreted.

It is vital that stables are kept as clean as possible whilst the horse is being medicated and it can be helpful to label the stable of a horse that is being treated. At the end of a course of treatment stables must be thoroughly cleaned.

Paddocks that have been used by horses during a course of treatment must not be used for several days after treatment has ended. All droppings must be removed from the paddock too.

3. Only use feed troughs or bowls that can be properly cleaned
It is not advisable to feed horses from stable fittings, e.g. troughs and bowls, that are difficult to clean. Treatment or feed residues may remain and moulds may form which could result in contamination.

4. Ensure washing off areas are clean
Traces of liniments and shampoos can easily be found in washing off areas. Some may contain caffeine.

5. Contamination from yard personnel and other animals
Thorough hand washing is vital for personnel who are receiving medication and handling horses as topical medication and traces of medication resulting from the handling of tablets may remain on hands. There have also been cases of horses testing positive for human drugs after stable staff who have been taking medication or recreational drugs have urinated in their stables. Dogs and cats that may be receiving medication must not be allowed into horses’ stables.

MEDICATING HORSES
1. Store medication carefully
Ensure medication is marked with the name of the horse that it is intended for. Medication packaging must be sealed shut to prevent accidental spillage whilst in storage and kept in a locked cupboard.

2. Take care when opening medication packaging
Open medication packages with care as spillages may occur. Powdered medication can produce clouds of powder, so mix the powder with small amounts of wet feed to reduce the risk of contamination. Gel, paste or liquid formulations, if available, are recommended. Always add and mix the medication into the feed of the treated horse in a separate area away from feed preparation for other horses. 

3. Use separate feed bucket for administering in-feed medication
Despite thorough washing, traces of medication may remain in feed buckets. It is therefore strongly advised that separate feed buckets that are clearly labelled for this use are used to give horses in-feed medication. Feed stirrers that may be used to mix medication with feed must also be kept separately and clearly labelled for this use only.  

4. Dedicate one person to medication administration
This helps to reduce the risk of a horse receiving a double dose of medication which could lead to the medication remaining in the horse’s body for prolonged periods of time and therefore result in a positive.

5. Medicate the horse in a location that can be easily cleaned
It may be difficult to clean stables thoroughly, particularly when using medication in powder or paste formulations. It may be necessary to medicate horses in alternative locations such as washing off areas.

6. Use disposable bandage materials
Following the application of topical medication, some instances may require the treated area to be bandaged. It is strongly advised that disposable bandages are used for this purpose and that they are disposed of safely immediately after removal.

7. Wear Gloves
Always wear gloves when giving horses topical medication e.g. cream and ointments, and certain types of oral medication e.g. sedative gels and anti-inflammatory pastes. 

8. Wash your hands
Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling human or veterinary medication (including tablets and liquids) and before working with your own or any other horse, even if you were wearing gloves. Other hand sanitising methods which are used for biosecurity purposes will not remove medication residue effectively. Hand washing is best.

9. Dispose of empty medication packaging and unused medication correctly
Empty bottles or pots of medication must be correctly disposed of and not re-used. Residues of medication will remain in the bottle despite attempts at thorough cleaning. Unused medication must be disposed of properly and your veterinarian will be able to advise you accordingly. 

MEASURES TAKEN BY THE FEI
For your additional protection, the FEI has built in a number of measures to the EADCM programme. These include screening limits, detection time and elective testing.

1. Screening limits
The FEI has established screening limits for substances where research is available in order to ensure that irrelevant concentrations are not reported as a positive. Concentrations of substances that exceed the screening limit are considered as positive cases whereas concentrations falling below the screening limits are negative. Screening limits are designed for the FEI to only take action where the concentration of Controlled Medications affect performance or are a welfare risk to the horse. They are set at fair levels and scientifically supported. 

2. Detection times
The FEI produces a list of detection times for commonly used medication. Detection times indicate the amount of time medication remains in the horse’s body and are not the same as withdrawal times or stand down periods. In order to determine when a horse is free from medication, an additional period of time (safety margin) must be added to the detection time to calculate the withdrawal time. Safety margins are unique to individual horses and your usual veterinarian can advise on appropriate withdrawal times.

3. Elective Testing
Elective testing allows horses that are registered with the FEI to undergo testing for a maximum of four Controlled Medication substances at any one time. The FEI strongly recommends the use of elective testing to ensure horses are free from Controlled Medication substances following treatment. Further details can be found here.

VERY IMPORTANT: The Athlete MUST first establish how the prohibited substance entered the body of the horse in order to assess the level of fault/negligence. If the Athlete cannot establish this, the max (standard) sanction is applied.

The assessment by the FEI and by the FEI Tribunal is on the balance of probabilities (51%).

Is it more likely than not?

And the Athlete needs to establish a link between the source and the positive finding.

The Athlete must show that he or she did not know or suspect, and could not reasonably have known or suspected even with the exercise of utmost caution, that he or she had administered to the Horse, or the Horse’s system otherwise contained, a Banned or Controlled Medication Substance.

The Athlete must show that the level of his/her fault or negligence, when viewed in the totality of the circumstances and taking into account the criteria for No Fault or Negligence, was not significant in relation to the EADCM Regulation violation.

If the source of the contamination cannot be established, meaning that the Athlete/Person Responsible failed to explain how the prohibited substance entered the body of the horse, there cannot be any assessment of the level of Fault or Negligence.

This means that the standard sanction will apply (2 years for a Banned Substance and 6 months for a Controlled Medication).

Complete elimination of the sanction is not possible in case of a Mislabeled or Contaminated Supplement because the “defence” of No Fault/Negligence does not apply.

Athletes are always responsible for what their Horses ingest and have been warned about the possibility of supplement contamination.

Minimum Sanction: A reprimand + Automatic Disqualification of the results.

You will find more in the FEI Supplement Warning document available here.

The FEI Tribunal has more flexibility in sanctioning:
♦  The Athlete is usually not provisionally suspended (even if the Specified Substance is a Banned Substance)
♦  If No Fault/Negligence is established, there is no ineligibility period imposed against the rider
♦  If No Significant Fault/Negligence is established, the minimum sanction is a Reprimand
♦  In all cases: Automatic Disqualification of the results

Other Contamination such as in feed and the substance is not a Specified Substance:
♦  If No Fault/Negligence is established, there is no ineligibility period imposed against the rider
♦  If No Significant Fault/Negligence is established, the minimum sanction is one-half of the standard level, i.e. 1-year ineligibility period for a Banned Substance even if contamination occurred.

*Note: The Athlete must establish the source of the contamination to rely on No Fault/Negligence or No Significant Fault/Negligence

If the source of the contamination cannot be established, meaning that the Athlete/Person Responsible failed to explain how the prohibited substance entered the body of the horse, the “defence” of No (Significant) Fault or Negligence is not an option.

This means that the standard sanction will apply (2 years for a Banned Substance and 6 months for a Controlled Medication).

The Elective Testing service provides an opportunity for FEI Veterinarians to test the urine of a Horse registered with the FEI for prohibited substances.

Samples may be submitted to any FEI Approved Laboratory offering this service, to test for up to four of the FEI Equine Prohibited Substances, as specified on the Elective Testing Substances list.

At the moment, only a number of Controlled Medications (but not all) are on the Elective Testing Substances list.

SUGGESTION: It is suggested to expand the Elective Testing Substances List to include all Controlled Medication Substances and to potentially add all the Specified Substances, including the ones that are Banned Substances, such as synephrine.

This would allow Athletes, Support Personnel, Veterinarians to know, on a confidential basis, if his/her horse ingested or was contaminated with a Specified Substance for example.

This would allow the Athlete to take preventive measures, such as not competing with that horse, knowing that it has a prohibited system in its body.

Questions for National Federations, Athletes, Support Personnel, Stakeholders

While some changes to the EADCMR will be mandatory to ensure that the FEI remains WADA compliant, the FEI has scope in some areas to adapt the rules to reflect the specificities of equestrian sport. Have your say and let us know what you think about some of the questions and proposed changes below. You will find HERE a template with all the questions regarding the changes to the EADCMR which you can respond to in their entirety or individuallyNote that where relevant we have included some references in order to provide you with the background and rational for the proposed changes or position on changes. You can send your feedback directly by email to Áine Power, FEI Deputy Legal Director and Mikael Rentsch, FEI Legal Director.

Solely with regards to “Other Forms of Contamination”:
Do you want to allow more flexibility for contamination cases, if proven, and even if the Athlete bears some Fault/Negligence for the positive case?
Or do you want to keep, as a minimum, one-half of the standard sanction (i.e 1 year for Banned Substance cases)?
Of course if the Athlete is at No Fault/Negligence, there is no ineligibility period imposed.

New in the 2021 WADA Code

For human athletes, the following changes will come into effect on 01.01.2021:
♦  Supplements can be contaminated and may be the cause of inadvertent doping.
♦  New reporting limits for prohibited substances often found in supplements will be shared with Labs.
♦  This means Athletes who cannot say which supplement caused the positive test are better protected but they must still prove they mitigated the risk and undertook thorough research of any supplement product before use.

Do you want to expand this concept in the Equine Anti-Doping Rules (to review the reporting limits for prohibited substances often found in supplements and to establish more Threshold Substances  for naturally occurring substances)?*

If so, the FEI would work with the Laboratories and FEI List Group to identify the relevant substances concerned and identify the appropriate reporting levels.

FEI would also liaise with WADA to see how WADA does it in practice for humans.

*Note: The FEI had already worked on reporting limits but also liaises with WADA to share best practices/experience.

New in the 2021 WADA Code

For human athletes, the following changes will come into effect on 01.01.2021:
Atypical Findings (ATF) Beyond Endogenous Substances
♦  When a laboratory reports a sample as an ATF, it sends a message to the Anti-Doping Organisation (ADO) that the Sample may or may not contain a prohibited substance.
♦  It is then the ADO’s responsibility to conduct an investigation to determine whether the sample should be treated as an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) (i.e. a positive test) or not.
♦  The 2021 Code permits WADA to develop a list of other prohibited substances which may be reported as ATF and thereby trigger investigations.
♦  This approach is particularly helpful, for example, when trace levels of clenbuterol are detected in a sample. It is well known that meat contamination in Mexico and China can cause trace levels of clenbuterol to appear in an athlete's urine.

What is Atypical Findings (ATF)?
Atypical Findings (ATF): A report from an accredited laboratory which requires further investigation prior to the determination of an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF).
On conclusion of the further investigation, the Anti-Doping Organisation will advise the athlete as to whether or not there is evidence of the administration of a prohibited substance.
If there is no evidence, then no further action will be taken. If there is evidence of administration, the Atypical Finding will be reported as an AAF.

What is an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF)?
Adverse Analytical Findings: It is a report from an accredited laboratory that identifies the presence of a prohibited substance or evidence of the use of a prohibited method in a doping control sample.
This means that the A Sample (urine or blood) is “positive” and that there is an alleged anti-doping rule violation and the Athlete is notified accordingly.

Do you want to integrate such concept in the Equine Anti-Doping Rules (to have Atypical Findings (ATF) Beyond Endogenous Substances)?

If so, the FEI would work with the Laboratories and FEI List Group to identify the relevant substances that would be reported as ATF first, depending on the levels found.

The FEI could then investigate further and decide, on a case by case basis depending on the circumstances, whether to treat it as a positive test or not.